Press Releases

“Chairman Jordan is not convening the House Judiciary Committee here today to explore how Congress can reduce violent crime in Philadelphia. He’s bringing his traveling circus to town to divide Americans and distract from the crushing failures of the House majority.”

Philadelphia, PA—Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, will participate this morning in a House Judiciary Committee field hearing in Philadelphia, PA titled “Victims of Violent Crime in Philadelphia.”

Scanlon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below and can be live-streamed here:

“Ordinarily, I'd be delighted to welcome the Judiciary Committee to Philadelphia for a thoughtful and honest discussion about how we’ve dramatically reduced violent crime in our region over the past few years, the challenges we still face, and how the federal government can help. 

“But that’s not what’s going on here today. 

“Chairman Jordan is not convening the House Judiciary Committee here today to explore how Congress can reduce violent crime in Philadelphia.

“He’s bringing his traveling circus to town to divide Americans and distract from the crushing failures of the House majority. 

 “The purpose of this hearing is to scare voters and influence elections. Chairman Jordan wants to convince people that gun violence is a Philadelphia problem – but the truth is, it’s an American problem that’s traumatizing families in every corner of every community across this great land.

“Let me make three things very clear: 

“One — Violent crime in Philadelphia has decreased dramatically in recent years.

“Two — Our country continues to face a daily epidemic of gun violence,

“Three — This senseless violence is not inevitable - it’s enabled by lawmakers choosing to sow chaos with political stunts like this hearing instead of taking real action. 

“What makes today’s sham hearing even more offensive is that while our Republican colleagues are here to score political points off the pain of families who have suffered grievous losses, they’re simultaneously blocking votes on bills that would prevent gun violence in Philadelphia and across the country by keeping weapons out of dangerous hands and off our neighborhood streets. 

“We all know too many people in this community who have been scarred by gun violence – who have lost loved ones, neighbors, and friends, and who are crying out for action to address this public health crisis.

“While House Republicans are deaf to those pleas, we’re seeing work on the ground, across the Philadelphia region, that offers hope. 

“New violence intervention programs are showing progress. 

“The dedicated and results-driven leaders of these transformational initiatives are why violent crime in Philadelphia is at its lowest levels in more than two decades. 

“Homicides in Philadelphia this year to date are down by 35% from last year, and down 16% from 5 years ago. 

“But there’s still so much work to do. Americans are demanding action. American voters—our children—deserve to know where their representatives stand on the commonsense solutions to stop this carnage. 

“Democrats have introduced bills that would close background check loopholes, implement red flag laws, promote the safe storage of firearms, and ban assault weapons and ghost guns. 

“But our Republican colleagues are refusing to join us in getting a vote on these bills. 

“Philadelphians—and all Americans—deserve a Congress that does its job and passes legislative solutions, not one that spends all its time mired in political sideshows and dysfunction.   

“Our country has serious issues that deserve serious solutions – not cynical political circuses like this sham of a hearing. 

“Philadelphians deserve better. America deserves better.”

###